"Life is lived forward, but understood backward. It is not until we are down the road and we stand on the mountain looking back through the valley that we can appreciate the terrain God has allowed us to scale.” Jill Savage

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

The Pebble

Many years ago in a small village, a farmer had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to a village money-lender. The money-lender, who was old and ugly, fancied the farmer's beautiful daughter. So, he proposed a bargain. He said he would forgo the farmer's debt if he could marry his daughter.

Both the farmer and his daughter were horrified by the proposal. The cunning money-lender suggested that they let Providence decide the matter. He told them that he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty money bag. Then the girl would have to pick one pebblefrom the bag.

1) If she picked the black pebble, she would become his wife and her father's debt would be forgiven.2) If she picked the white pebble, she need not marry him and her father's debt would still be forgiven.3) But if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into jail.

They were standing on a pebble strewn path in the farmer's field. As they talked, the money-lender bent over to pick up two pebbles. As hepicked them up, the sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two black pebbles and put them into the bag. He then asked the girl to pick a pebble from the bag.

Now, imagine that you were standing in the field. What would youhave done if you were the girl?

If you had to advise her, what would youhave told her? Careful analysis would produce three possibilities:

1. The girl should refuse to take a pebble. Then the father would go to jail.2. The girl should show that there were two black pebbles in the bag andexpose the money-lender as a cheat. Then the money-lender wouldn't forgive the debt out of revenge fpr humiliation.3. The girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order tosave her father from his debt and imprisonment.

Take a moment to ponder over the story.

The above story is used with the hope that it will make us appreciate the difference between lateral and logical thinking. The girl's dilemma cannot be solved with traditional logical thinking. Think of the consequences if she chooses the above logical answers. What would you advise the girl to do?

Well, here is what she did. The girl put her hand into the money bag and drew out a pebble. Without looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles.

"Oh, how clumsy of me," she said. "But never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked."

Since the remaining pebble is black, it must be assumed that she had picked the white one. And since the money-lender dared not admit his dishonesty, the girl changed what seemed an impossible situation into an extremely advantageous one.

MORAL OF THE STORY:Most complex problems do have a solution. It is only that we don't attempt to think. Start your day with this thought-provoking story and have a nice day.

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I'm a Christian middle aged woman, wife, mother of two, and grandmother of two (wonderful boys).
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